A senior Midland MP has attacked the European Union over plans to sell arms to China which threaten to spark a trade war with the US.

Three members of the Commons Foreign Affairs Committee, including Birmingham MP Gisela Stuart (Lab Edgbaston), have issued a public statement condemning proposals to lift the 15-year embargo on weapon sales.

European leaders hope to lift the arms embargo early in May, when the EU holds a meeting with China's leadership.

But senior US Congressman have warned the US will retaliate by stopping sales of military technology to Europe.

The row could undo the repairs made to the US-EU relationship by Mr Bush's recent visit to Europe.

It comes as China's Communist leadership is making increasingly belligerent noises about the Chinese island of Taiwan, which has a democratic government and effectively enjoys independence.

The United States will defend Taiwan if it is attacked, but Washington fears its sailors and pilots could face weapons guided by European technology.

Ms Stuart was a member of the European Convention, which helped write the controversial European Constitution, but has been a staunch critic of many aspects of the European Union.

They said: "China massacred its own people in Tiananmen Square in 1989. The EU responded by imposing an arms embargo.

"China continues to torture, suppress and harass political dissidents.

" The Foreign Offices' Annual Human Rights Report comments on the extensive use of the death penalty and the severe restrictions on basic freedom of speech, association and religion.

"Beijing has enacted legislation that will automatically trigger Chinese military action against Taiwan if the island moved towards formal independence.

"The Pentagon is concerned over China's burgeoning military sector and the increasing number of missiles deployed across the Taiwan Strait, the acceleration of Chinese defence spending and the rapid increase in its navy."